Dragon Origins
by Writer's United Collaboration
Summary: The Isle of Berk now enjoys peace after the fall of Drago's dragon army and the Berkians continue their days of dragon riding, and dragon races. Nothing is meant to last, however, as a peaceful day is interrupted by two strange dragon riders on unfamiliar dragons. Just who are these youths? Why are they here? And why are they so keen to find a Night Fury? (Astrid x Hiccup)
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings readers. I bring to you a collaborative writing from the minds of Neeko96 and Ageis Dragon. We of Writers United, have come together in hopes to better our own writing by working with one another.**

**This story is a post HTTYD2 fic, we intend to keep all canon events up until the end of the second movie and so you shouldn't have to worry about too many unprecedented surprises with the history as it pertains to Berk and associated characters.**

**Disclaimer: We would like to reiterate the obvious, and that this is a work of fiction completely unaffiliated with Dreamworks or associates. This is a fan made work and will not and should not, be sold for a profit with the containing copyrighted characters.**

**Authors:**

**Neeko96 - I'm happy to work with a friend in this work. He was of great help in my last HTTYD fic and helped to bounce ideas for it. To any who may know my previous work "Rise of the Dragon Riders" their is a familiar character in here, but do not associate these characters together as they come from 2 different histories. Of course their will be similarities, but not the same character alright?=^-^=**

**Ageis Dragon - (To be added at a later time)**

**Ch. 1 - The Quest**

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><p>It was loud as the roar of men's shouts were heard through the walls of a rather large inn. It was dusk and so many of them were there to drink or eat, it really all depended on the person. Another loud roar rushed over the dining hall from a crowd of men on one side while others ate and talked with a little less gusto.<p>

"Oy! You best be given up lad!"

"She's got you beat!"

A loud slam was heard which was followed by yet another roar.

"Damn!"

"The lass has done it again!"

A young woman could now be seen standing upon the table in the center of the crowd of men raising one fist in victory.

"Y'all need to think twice before takin up a challenge against me!" She then proceeded to turn and gathered more cheers as she did so. Across the room a young man sat alone with his dinner. He would peek over in their general direction every now and again and let out a sigh as he did so.

"Could they be any louder?" He then took another bite of his bread as he looked over what seemed to be a map with several islands on it. He crossed one off and then drew a line leading to another one.

A woman came by with a tray and a bowl of stew. "Here you go." She said as she placed it on the table. She then took a look and noticed the table was empty aside from the boy. "Where is the girl you were with before?"

Mathias rolled his eyes as he turned to her with a smile. "She's having a bit of fun at the moment," he replied, "but she'll be coming back soon."

"Good, the stew's better when it's still hot." She then gave a courteous nod and headed back to the kitchen. The boy let out another sigh as he turned back to the rowdy group who were just as loud as ever.

"She's the one who has to eat it, not me." He finished up his bread, which was the last of his meal, and took to writing a few notes. "Maybe here next? It's got to be one of these." His concentration was broken by a rough pat on the back.

"Hey Mathias, you figure out where we're going yet?" The boy gave a grunt as he repositioned himself.

"Yeah, we're going to this northern one here. Based on what the last village said, they were headed north, so it's got to be one of the northern islands." He then heaved another sigh. "By the way Megin, do you have to do that everywhere we go?"

She gave a laugh as she sat across from him and pulled the bowl over to herself. "Why not? It's fun for me. You could do it too if you wanted."

He shook his head in response. "Sorry but that's not my thing. I'm not about to get stuck in a fight like that if I can avoid it."

She leaned forward and raised a brow. "Is Matt a chicken?"

He gave her a dead glare. "I'm not even going grace that taunt with a decent response." He then held up the map and showed her. "Anyway, we're going to be going a pretty far stretch so try not to go too crazy, or you'll fall asleep on your dragon." Megin chuckled as she took a sip of her drink. "You worry too much Mathias."

Come sunrise a rustling was heard in the trees behind the inn from the previous night. Low growls could be heard but they weren't loud enough to garner any real attention. From between two large trees a head with long red-orange hair popped out.

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><p>"Alright Mathias, we're clear." She then stepped through the bush in front of her. She was wearing a Tiger skin over her brown tunic and a pair of blue-grey pants under that. She turned and pulled at a rope to reveal the tiger head still very attached to the skin and seemed to be used as a hood. A slight shine could be seen just under the hood which belonged to the hilt of a sword. After a few good tugs a dragon was revealed to be at the end of it. This dragon was rather large being around the size of a Nightmare but more built at the front. It had two sets of slightly curved horns, one being much longer than the other set, and a muscular build. The exotic stripes on its scales were a grey-black on the scales that seemed to match the women's hair color rather nicely. It gazed around with an angry expression as the women let it out of the thick wooded area. As it's tail came out, it nicked a tree with the long sharp spike it had near the tip with a shorter spin on the opposite side. She then motioned to someone in the brush. "Hurry up before someone gets curious!"<p>

"Where do you get all this energy Megin!" Mathias grumbled as he stepped out into the light of the morning sun. He had brown hair kept out of his face by a leather band and piercing golden eyes as he glared at the girl in front of him. "You were up for Odin knows how long!" He then brushed some of the twigs he'd picked up out of his light leather padding and tightened his fur bracers. He wore a dark grey tunic under his padding and slightly darker pants which bound up in his boots at the ends. On his waist were two strange swords that seemed to be a bit too short to be normal. He stopped and stretched a bit but was interrupted by a dragon who deemed it fit to push him forward. "Come on Nightshade." He whined as he turned towards the silvery colored dragon. "Just give me a minute to wake up." She rolled her eyes at the boy before pushing past him and stretching her wide ridged wings out in the sun. She had golden eyes like the boy and her two horns looked like they splinter out all along the outside. She also had a ridge fold along her back partially covered by the saddle which sat high on her shoulders and neck.

"Looks like she wanted to stretch too Matt. Dyrfeng and I will give you two a moment before we leave you behind."

Mathias clicked his tongue at her. "Like you even know where you're going."

She gave a shrug in response. "I'll figure it out." She then gave a wry glance to the large dragon at her side. "Don't you think so?" It gave a confident grunt in response as it puffed out its large chest and blew smoke from its nostrils. "See?" She mocked as she pointed to the dragon. "He thinks so too."

The other dragon grunted as she seemed to roll her eyes. She then stretched forward and curved her tail, which bore a cone shaped stinger, at the end, over her head. Mathias let out a deep breath before picking up his bag from the ground. "Alright, I'm good. You Nightshade?" He asked as he turned to his silver companion. She gave a nod as she folded her wings a bit.

"Finally." Megin stated as she swung herself onto Dyrfeng's saddle. "I was beginning to think I had time for a quick match with one of the inn's early risers."

Mathias and his dragon rolled their eyes as the boy climbed on. "No man will ever be able to keep up with that crazy pace of yours."

She gave him a proud nod. "Too bad for them then." Dyrfeng then took off into the morning sky followed quickly by Nightshade with Mathias on her back. "Lead the way oh great keeper of the map!" She commanded in a teasing tone. Mathias ignored the tone and took point.

"Judging from these distance markers it'll take less than a day, but it'll still be awhile before we make land again once we hit the ocean. You're probably going to regret not stretching Meg."

She gave a shake of her head as she pat her dragon's head. "Warriors like us don't need that. We're built ready for anything."

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><p>The two riders spent the next several hours going over what to do when they actually found what they were looking for. Mathias was looking over some written notes in his book as he led the way towards their next destination. Megin seemed rather bored as she leaned over Dyrfeng's saddle lazily watching the ocean below. She heaved out a sigh.<p>

"So… are we getting close? Not that I don't enjoy the ocean view or anything."

Mathias flipped through to another page as he responded. "I'm pretty sure we are. Of course if I still had my good map…"

"Com on, I said I was sorry. I didn't realize what it was until after I used it." Megin defended with an agitated look.

Mathias sighed as he wrote something down and used his spyglass to look out at the horizon. "Yeah well, just be careful next time, and please don't just grab at someone's stuff randomly like that. You have a bad habit of not thinking when you're in one of your….. moods is really all I can say to describe them really."

Megin puffed her chest in slight offense. "I just like having fun is all you killjoy."

Mathias gave a chuckle. "To each their own I guess, but your 'fun' can be extremely distracting at times….. and dangerous too." Nightshade gave a grunt as she turned her head slightly to the right. "What is it Nightshade?" The young man questioned as he closed his notebook and reached for his spy glass. Dyrfeng seemed to jostle to an alert state as well as he looked onto the horizon. "Hmm? We find it?" Mathias remained silent for a few minutes as he tried to make out what he was seeing. "Oh!... I do believe we have found our destination Megin!" He placed the tool back in his back and took the handles of his saddle. "Let's go Nightshade!"

Megin, with an air of excitement, followed suit with Dyrfeng. It only took a few minutes of flying for the isle to become visible to the naked eye. "So that's Berk?" Megin asked as she took in the strange sight. Their seemed to be specks in the distance and they appeared to be flying. "What's going on over there?"

Mathias rubbed his chin a bit. "Maybe the rumors were true. And if they are, it means we're set."

Megin looked at her companion curiously. "Rumors? Of what?"

Mathias rolled his eyes. She had obviously tuned him out when he told her about an island of dragon riders like themselves. He couldn't quite believe that many people who tolerated dragons existed to be frank. It seemed rather impossible, especially given his experience. "The dragon we're looking for is apparently from an island said to the home of dragon riders. Its called Berk, and over the past few years, sightings of riders have become more common. There was even a man rumored to have an entire dragon army further north around here."

Megin's eyes beamed in delight at the mention of it. "Other dragon riders?! Really?!" Dyrfeng also seemed a bit more motivated as the dragon picked up speed.

Mathias could see the woman's delight and a slight feeling of dread filled his gut. Nightshade reciprocated the emotion as she looked back at her rider with a whine.

The closer the two riders and their dragons got to the island, the greater the distance between the two became as Megin took the lead. "Hold on Megin!" He yelled after her with his anxiety mounting.

Megin took no heed as they were in easy sight of the now easily recognized dragons. There seemed to be several flying through the air and if Mathias didn't know better, he'd say they were fighting over a sheep. Megin saw the fight go down between a young man on a Nightmare and two strange vikings on a Zippleback and her body language was all Mathias needed to see to realize what was going to happen next.

The young man let out a sigh. "Odin help me….." When he looked up to see Megin, she had somehow already gotten to the other riders and with a swift flight over them, had stolen the sheep. The competitive nature of the girl could not resist as she clutched the black woolly mammal as she laughed in triumph. The three vikings seemed more than a bit bewildered by the sudden intrusion and hesitated a few moments before going after her.

"Who the heck?" Grumbled the Nightmare rider as he he gripped his large hammer tighter. "Come on Hookfang!"

The twins on the Zippleback took a bit longer to respond as they traded very confused expressions. One of them, wearing flashy war paint, seemed about to respond before the other pulled at the horns of one of the dragon's head. "Get that sheep!" The Zippleback was quick to comply as the other twin followed the girl's lead.

Mathias watched from afar as he calculated the best way to fix this without causing some sort of fight. Fighting wasn't his thing. Sure he could fight if required to, but he preferred not to by principle…. and the fact he wasn't too built for it.

Megin was directing Dyrfeng all over the place as she made a few back glances at the vikings following her. She gave a laugh as she watched and then faced forward just in time to maneuver around a Grunckle and it's rather heavy set rider. The passing Viking gave a confused expression as he stopped and his dragon hovered. That viking didn't seem as motivated to follow as the others easily passed him.

Megin's expression grew into a smirk as she continued her fun game of keep away. Just as she flew under a strange obstacle in the form of a wooden dragon she caught sight of a Nadder flying up on her. The rider of this dragon was a young woman and she seemed more competitive than the others. The confusion that marred her face at first glance fell away as Megin pointed to the sheep in her hands. The Nadder moved in closer as the rider stood up and balanced on its back. "Steady Stormfly." She commanded as she readied to jump on Dyrfeng for an up close snatch and grab.

Megin raised a brow in a slightly impressed manner but there was no way she was going to let that happen so easily and Dyrfeng seemed to agree. As he whipped his tail up to block her way. The menacing razor spike at the end was a lazy threat should she jump in his direction. The girl grunted in frustration as she settled back in her saddle and flew up a bit higher.

"She's good." Megin commented to herself as she watched the competitive girl move in from above. "This will be fun."

Just as the girl came up on her dragon, Megin pulled Dyrfeng to bank left and did a hairpin turn back towards the slower riders on her tail. The Nadder and her rider seemed a tad surprised but not perturbed by the tactic as they quickly moved to follow. The other riders, however, were surprised when the dragon they had been chasing barreled towards them. Dyrfeng let out a roar of dominance as he charged at them and both the Zippleback and Nightmare dodged without hesitation. You could see a smirk on the dragon's face that matched his rider as they passed them by without contest.

"What are you guys doing!?" The girl exclaimed in agitation. "They'll win if this keeps up."

The grunckle rider came up on the group as Astrid dashed through. "You think she'd be more worried about the total stranger flying around on a dragon I've never seen."

The Nightmare rider crossed his arms and gave the boy a look. "Winning first, duh." He then pulled Hookfang around to follow.

"Alright lets go!" Cried the male Zippleback rider with one arm out in the air.

The last rider let out a sigh as he watched the others. "Where's Hiccup when you need him?"

The two female riders were now relatively neck and neck as they flew past the stands full of Berkians. They all cheered at the riders, not a single one seemed all too bothered by the stranger that had butted into the game.

"I don't know who you are, but that sheep is mine!" Proclaimed the girl as she dove from her dragon and onto Dyrfeng's back much to the dragon's distaste. In response he started to fly rather sporadically as Megin fought off the young shield maiden.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want the sheep little lady!" She then pulled up on the saddle and Dyrfeng started a loop. Once he was upside down, the girl had troubles holding on and grabbed at the wool of the sheep on instinct. After a slight wind interference and some some flailing hooves as motivation, the sheep slipped from her grasp and the viking fell. After she too lost hold of the sheep she found herself quickly caught by her loyal Nadder and Megin seemed more than a bit off put by the play. "Nice, but not good enough!" Megin cried as she dove for the sheep. She caught it just as the other girl spied its location and the game of keep away commenced once again.

Megin could now say she was genuinely having fun with this girl. It was rare she found someone she could "play with" at such a level. Of course the only other rider she knew was Mathias, but he didn't enjoy this sort of thing all that much. He liked more peaceful forms of entertainment like reading, but wasn't above going at least a little wild given the right form of encouragement. She glanced back at her determined rival, but when she turned back she stared down the form of her companion and his dragon.

"Stop Megin! This is getting out of hand!" His dragon reciprocated his admonishing glare as he sat with his arms crossed.

Taken by surprise, Dyrfeng stopped rather suddenly which also caught the Nadder behind them by surprise."Whoa!" The girl exclaimed as she steadied the filght of her dragon.

Megin wore an agitated expression matching her dragon's as Mathias rubbed his temples. "Were you even thinking…. at all?" He asked.

Megin rolled her eyes. "Come on Matt, you're being a real stick in the mud!"

"And you're being an idiot!" The boy countered with an unyielding expression. "We don't need to cause a scene."

"A little late for that don't you think?" A new voice said from above. They all turned their heads up the see a black dragon who also had a rider atop its back. The young man didn't seem too happy, but not necessarily angry either.

Mathias let out a sigh as he took a look around. The crowd was cheering and that really seemed to get Megin going as she quickly forgot the boy's reprimand and flew over the crow to take in the glory with the sheep high over her head in victory. A dreadful expression was now on Mathias face, a stark contrast to his companion's, as he saw all eyes were on them. "Perfect….."

Megin landed her dragon on a wooden structure that seemed to be lined with wooden emblems and nets underneath as she continued to hold up the sheep in victory.

"Who are you?" The Night Fury rider asked in confusion as he lowered his dragon to meet Mathias' in altitude. He scratched the back of his head as he watched his companion and sighed.

"We're travelers. I really didn't want this to happen, honest…. She just gets like that sometimes."

The viking nodded in understanding as he too watched the tiger fur clad girl. "I see."

As soon as Mathias turned back his way he noticed the features of the dragon better and his eyes grew wide.

"Its the Night Fury!" He shouted, which got Megin's attention despite her current distraction.

"What?" Its rider responded in confusion to the younger boy's sudden exclamation.

"Just what are you two doing?" The Nadder rider asked as she joined the conversation. "And what about the Night Fury has you so surprised?" Of course the girl knew the dragon was rare, but it was the way the boy said it that confused her.

Mathias pat his dragon's neck like he hadn't heard the questions at all. "Looks like we found it!" He shouted and his dragon reciprocated his excitement. Several thoughts ran through his mind as he went over what to do next and a grin soon found its way to his face.

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><p><strong>And there you have it. Please direct all questions, comments, and anything else in a review. The OCs above are added as main characters of the story while the canon characters will also still hold main character status. Please don not used OCs of this work without permission. <strong>

**I also want to apologize for the long author's note at the top and would like to note that it will not be as such in the future. This is merely and introduction and I am merely trying to lay down some ground work from which this story will build. We would very much appreciate feed back on this work. =^-^=**


	2. Chapter 2 - Reasons

**Neeko96 - Hi! We worked hard in order to give you guys a new chapter relatively quickly! I hope ya'll will give us some feedback please? Anyway, hope you enjoy the story and give it a chance.=^-^=**

**Aegis Dragon - ****Hey! Sorry I couldn't be here last time. My partner in crime rushed and posted before I could say anything. Anyway, I'm glad to be working on this story. A lot of aspects of the story are idea's that have simmered in my mind for years and I'm glad to bring them out for your enjoyment! Hope you like it.**

**Ch. 2 - Reasons**

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><p>The small posse of dragon riders, seeing the scene they seemed to be causing, decided to retire themselves to a less crowded place. Hiccup decided to lead them to the closest structure they could all fit in which would be the stables. The ramp going down to the dock wasn't too far away, and it would give the new riders a place to tend to their dragons. While following Hiccup down the ramp, Mathias couldn't help but stare at Toothless as he followed his rider. Truth is he'd never actually seen a Night Fury, but based on the description he knew he was right. Astrid kept a keen eye on the two outsiders and their dragons from just behind them. Fishlegs, the only other viking not completely uninterested in the duo, couldn't help geeking out over the new species. He held up a notepad as he watched the two dragons walk steadily beside their riders. As soon as Hiccup and Toothless crossed the threshold into the building they stopped and allowed their guests in. Mathias was intrigued by the concept. To find a place that would go so far as to make a stable for dragons? And a good one at that. Megin seemed to be more nonchalant about the experience as if she'd seen it before. Mathias then turned to the Night Fury rider with a raised brow.<p>

"How long has Berk been like this," he asked, his curiosity peeking. "Dragon friendly I mean. We thought we were the only riders out there."

Hiccup took a broad look around the stable while beginning to answer the question. "We've been building towards good relations with dragons for over five years now. I've been putting in a few thing here and there."

"Hiccup was the first one to ride a dragon on Berk." Fishleg's added in as he took to looking over the silvery dragon. "He tamed the Night Fury." He then gestured to the dark dragon in question. "So that really is the Night Fury. Looks like there is some stock to what you hear in the inns after all, eh Mathias?" Megin pointed out in a teasing tone. She then watched as her dragon strode over to one of the water troughs for a drink. Mathias simply rolled his eyes at his companion.

"I never said otherwise," he said. "I just said it would be worth our time to check other places as well."

Megin returned with a smirk. "You just as much implied it, but whatever."

"So what exactly are you two doing here in Berk?" Astrid started by asking as she watched the large dragon drink its fill. She then turned to Mathias. "And why are you looking for a Night Fury?"

"Matt said we need to find one 'cause they were some kind of key." Megin responded as she leaned on the younger boy's shoulder.

Mathias gave her a lit glare for interrupting but clarified for her. "I was just told by someone that we needed to find a Night Fury. I won't say much, but I will say that I trust her. She said after we found the Night Fury, she'd tell me more."

Megin gave the boy a pat on the back as she added in her bit. "Yeah, same for me only it was some guy. He told me to find a Moonstreak and that what I'm supposed to do next would come from them." Megin then noticed one of the other Vikings, the Nightmare rider, was eyeing her dragon strangely. "Oi! You best not be messin' with Dyrfeng over there unless you can take 'em."

Snotlout raised his head with a disbelieving smirk on his face. "What this dragon? Of course he's no match for me." His haughty tone elicited several eye rolls from the small group and a snort from the dragon.

"Uh-oh boy, looks like he's not happy with what you're insinuating." Megin watched with a wry grin as Dyrfeng turned to the young man with a challenging gaze. He scraped one of his claws over the snowy floor before stomping it down. Snotlout reflexively backed up a bit as he gave the girl a side glance. "What's he doing?" His tone was shaky, but still rather cocky as he reached for his hammer at his side. Megin chuckled as she crossed her arms. "He's challenging you boy. Hope you got your affairs in order."

Mathias sighed in exasperation. "Could you at least attempt to control your dragon? You've caused enough trouble as it is."

"No can do Matt. You should know as well as I do that Battering Chargers are stubborn and don't refuse a challenge. The boy's goin to have to put his muscle where his mouth is." The large dragon snorted again before cracking its neck and bending its forelegs.

Mathias sighed once again as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "Please, for the love of Thor! Just stop him from charging, just this once, please!"

Megin's smirk faded as he arms fell to her sides. She let out a displeased grunt as she strode towards her dragon. "Alright Dyrfeng, you know you're way too strong to be challenging this guy so just back off for now." The dragon glared at her a moment before complying. Its demeanor still remained tense as it watched the nervous Viking back away towards the Nightmare.

"So, back to what we were talking about earlier." Mathias started as he turned to Hiccup. "I was told to find a Night Fury, and considering how rare they are, I can only assume this is the right one."

"So now this mysterious person gives you your next order?" Astrid inquired with a disbelieving expression. "I'm not buying it."

Mathias shrugged. "I'm not asking you to. I'm asking him. I haven't given you reason to distrust me yet, have I?" He then gives a tired glance to his companion. "Well, at least I haven't. You can take her with a grain of salt."

Megin crossed her arms once again. "Hey, I haven't beat up anybody, destroyed anything or caused either of those thing to happen to someone else. I think I've been rather tame."

Mathias rolled his eyes. ",Tame', she says….."

"Anyway lass, he's right. We ain't askin you to buy anythin. We only need the Night Fury rider to. You may not believe us now, and you might think us a bit crazy too, but you'll come around. It won't be long before this guy here gets a private conversation with these mysterious voices." She got several dry expressions, even one from Mathias.

"You do realize you just made us out to be completely insane right?" He asked with exasperation in his voice. Megin simply shrugged. "Well its the truth ain't it? You don't know who was talkin, they just were. You got this lady, I got a man. Who knows what Mr. Pegleg is gonna get." Mathias just sighed and facepalmed.

Hiccup traded a glance with his girlfriend before speaking up again. "Okay, so you both got messages, but you don't know from who, and they both needed you to find Toothless. Where exactly do I fit in with these voices of yours?"

Mathias and Megin traded glances before Mathias spoke up. "I… actually don't know. It's just a feeling, but somehow, I know they want you too."

"Yeah, the way we figure it, since both my Battering Charger and his Moonstreak had riders which weren't mentioned by either voice, the Night Fury having a rider ain't much of a surprise. You're gonna get roped in just like us, I'd wager." Megin added in as she leaned on Mathias' shoulder once again. She then looked over to her dragon who was sniffing at the ground. "Sounds good to me. Hey, ya'll got any food round here by any chance? I'll wrestle you for it." She added in the last part as a tease, but the agitated expression she got from Mathias seemed to ruin the joke. He then walked away, rubbing his temples and muttering a stream of words in Latin. She followed with a playful yet apologetic expression. "Oh you know I was only messin Matt, really!"

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><p>"So you're actually the village chief?" Megin asked as she took a look around the embellished hall.<p>

That seemed to surprise Mathias as he placed down his spoon. "That would certainly go a long way to explaining how dragons have been so well incorporated in your village." He then set down another plate for Nightshade, who had finished the fish allotted to her.

"You shouldn't feed animals from the table."

Mathias dismissed Megin's chiding tone with a click of his tongue. "Yeah, but Nightshade enjoys a little variety in her meals, not just fish." Nightshade gave a purr in happiness as she took up one of the chicken legs into her mouth.

Dyrfeng sniffed around the pile of fish before him before knocking several to the side. "What's with boys and their table manners?" Megin asked in a tired tone. "You need to eat all the food you're given, Dyrfeng." The dragon grunted in response before turning his snot away from the separated fish. She rolled her eyes at the picky dragon before continuing into her own meal.

"So about the village," Mathias started as he dismissed the previous conversation. "Being Chief must get pretty stressful. I'm sure getting this many people in line is difficult, and then there's the dragons."

Hiccup turned to Toothless with a grateful expression. "Well, it can be difficult, but with the right help it gets done."

"It helps when your dragon is recognized as the Alpha of the village," Fishlegs added in as he took a bit of his chicken.

Mathias raised an eyebrow. "Wait, back up. Did I hear that right? An Alpha that's not a Bewilderbeast?"

"You heard right." Fish continued. "He became the Alpha after he took on a Bewilderbeast under the control of Drago Bloodfist. After he challenged it, it lost control and the dragons in the village took his side."

Megin's interest was peaked at the mention of such a familiar name. "So you crossed paths with that guy huh? Hope you gave him his dues."

Mathias turned to her. "What, you know this guy?"

"Yeah," she responded. "He came to my village some years ago and tried to get us to join his army. Verdheim would give any army the kind of reputation it needed to be taken seriously."

"What did he want? Just who is this guy?" Mathias asked in genuine interest.

"Well, my father said he was mad, but he could have just been stupid too. He had said some crazy nonsense about having a dragon army to control all the northern territories. I was just a wee lass then, so I didn't get too much at the time. I do know, that he was laughed right out of the village though and we were swarmed not long after. The dragons burned down a quarter of the village before we got rid of them."

"No worries there. We took care of him." Astrid stated in confidence. "I doubt he'll get very far even if he did somehow manage to get out of the hole he dug himself into."

Megin gave her a pleased expression as she finished off her roll. "Good. He can rot in Hel then. I know several of my fellow villagers who'll be sleepin with a smile on their faces knowin they've got some payback even if they weren't the ones who got 'em."

Hearing Megin talk so nonchalantly about her village caused Mathias to frown as some unpleasant feelings and memories surged up from the depths of his mind .

'Someday,' he thought, 'I'll go back and show them the truth.'

Megin, seeing the somber expression on the boy's face, started to have a bit of worry. "Mathias? You alright over their?"

Mathias snapped out of his stupor and looked to Megin. "I… It's fine. Just dwelling on some unpleasant memories."

She gave a grunt in thought before reaching over the table and grabbing his flagon. "This'll make you feel better then." She then proceeded to dump out his drink and pour a bit of hers in it. "It may even put some hair on your chest."

Mathias rolled his eyes. "You know I don't drink that slop, Megin."

"Aye, but sometimes its not the drinkin that's needed. Sometimes its just for forgettin." She wore an understanding expression that seemed to gaze far out while still at him. He raised a brow as he pushed the drink aside.

"All the more reason not to," he said. "If we forget what troubles us, we forget what drives us forward."

"You, maybe. I always know what drives me even when it doesn't look like I do." She then turned to both Hiccup and Astrid. "I'm sure the two of you know what I mean." She said in a teasing tone, eliciting a light blush on the couple's faces.

"W-we do what we can." Astrid stated as she banished the redness from her cheeks

"Sometimes that's all you can do." Megin continued. "Being a village Chief probably makes that a bit more demanding than would be normal. I've seen it first hand."

Hiccup gave a nod. "Yeah, it can be, but I try not to let that stop me from doing what I need to do. Keeping the peace between dragons and Vikings gets easier the more each side compromises. If we can meet halfway, then we can understand each other better."

"I know several guys who could learn a great deal from you Hiccup. Of course, they'd never admit it themselves. Men today are too proud." Megin complained as she took another sip of her drink.

Mathias watched as she downed more of it before turning back to Hiccup. "She's probably going to stop making sense the longer this lasts." He then pushed up his plate to lean against the table a bit. "We should probably starting preparing for the next step."

"And what would that be?" Hiccup asked.

"Not sure," Mathias responded. "I was told that we'd be contacted when we found the Night Fury. But now that I think about it, since Megin and I have already received instructions before, perhaps you're next."

Hiccup looked contemplative and shook his head. "Whatever this is, it seem's like it's centered around you and your friend. I don't think I-" Just then, Hiccup's eyes grew hazy, then flashed as he and Toothless passed out on the floor.


	3. Chapter 3 - Charting the Course

**Aegis Dragon - **Hey guys! Third chapter is finally out! Sorry it took us so long. Neeko's been procrastinating and I've been busy

**Neeko96 - **I so have not. I have the right to read fictions too! I am not your writting slave!=^-^=

**Aegis Dragon - **Says the girl who can't spell 'writing'

**Neeko96 - **What does that have to do with being a writing slave?=^-^=

**Aegis Dragon - **A slave would be too experienced and disciplined to make that kind of mistake.

**Neeko96 - **But I'm not a slave so there.=^-^=

**Aegis Dragon - **You are. You just don't realize it yet. But this bickering can be saved for later. Let's give the readers their chapter.

**Neeko96 - **Fine, but I just want to say one last thing! I wrote this! He's lyining!=^-^=

**Ch. 3 - Charting the Course**

* * *

><p>There was a scramble as the other Vikings, mainly Fishleg's and Astrid, rushed to his side wondering what just happened. Both Hiccup and Toothless were collapsed on the ground; no warning, no sign.<p>

"Hiccup!" Astrid just about shouted as she kneeled beside him and grabbed him by his shoulder. Nothing she did seemed to stir the unconscious viking and his dragon seemed just as out of it. Megin watched in avid curiosity as she leaned over the table to spy them.

"That was rather sudden dontcha think?" Mathias shook his head in slight frustration that she wasn't more worried.

"Let's just get him up. If he's out like we were, we better not let him sleep here the whole time."

They were able to move Hiccup out of the hall and into his house with little trouble, but Toothless was a slightly different story. He was a great deal more heavy than a somewhat scrawny viking with a missing leg. A few of the dragons had to help get him moved from the Great Hall. They decided getting him through the door was enough and brought Hiccup up to his room.

Upon opening the door to see her son and his dragon, Valka was surprised and beside herself at the sudden situation. She helped get him upstairs in bed before noticing the two strangers who had come in with the other vikings now sitting around the downstairs area.

"And who might the two of you be?" She asked as she stepped down the stairs with Astrid just in front of her.

Mathias, in a responsible air, decided to answer the question. "We're travelers. We came here looking for a Night Fury."

She gave them a wary look. "So I suppose you've found one. Now what are you going to do?"

"We're going….. well, I guess we should wait till the Night Fury rider gets up." Megin responded while not completely sure.

Mathias nodded. "Yeah, chances are he gets the next piece of the puzzle."

"And hopefully more of an explanation then, 'Go find this dragon!', or 'Do as I say.'" Megin added in with a sarcastic tone. She crossed her arms in obvious frustration as she seemed to go into thought. Mathias raised a brow at her before turning back to the viking woman.

"Well anyway, we'll just have to wait. In the meantime though, I guess…." He was distracted from his train of thought by a shield hitting the ground beside Megin. His intrigue turned to exasperation when he noticed she seemed to have just fallen asleep and knocked it off the wall when she leaned back. "Well…. I guess sleeping isn't the worst idea you've had." He sighed in resignation. "It's actually sounding pretty good right about now." He then turned back to Valka. "I think it'll be best to wait until Hiccup wakes up. I'm sure we'll have more to talk about by that point anyway."

Though reluctant to agree due to her son's condition, she did allow them that much. Chances are, they travel'd quite a distance to get to Berk, and so much seems to have happened according to what Astrid had told her. "Aye, then we'll talk in the mornin."

Mathias stretched and then got up off the chair. "Now all we have to do is figure out where we're going to set up camp." He then looked over to Megin who was out like a light. "And chances are, I'll have to do it myself." He heard a growl from outside and remembered a very impatient Battering Charger was waiting just outside the house. "Oh right…. Dyrfeng doesn't listen to a word I say…" He rubbed his temple in frustration as he headed to the door. He was cut off by Valka who was equally alerted by the growl.

"Oh! Is that a Battering Charger? I don't think I've ever seen one acting so tame."

Mathias rolled his eyes. "'Tame', she says."

"Aye." Valka responded with a raised brow. "Have you ever seen one of these in the wild?"

Mathias took a moment to think about it and realised he never had. His first encounter with this species was through Megin and Dyrfeng was the only one he'd ever seen. "No actually."

She gave a light chuckle as she turned back to the dragon. "That is a show of very good patience for this dragon. This species is known for having a very short temper. Finding one in the wild can be tricky. You have to spot them before they spot you. If they spot you first, you'll be meeting them by the horns."

Mathias gave the new information some thought as he looked over the dragon in a slightly new light. "Guess I never gave him any credit." Valka gave a nod.

"Then I guess he's the lass' dragon then. She's done a splendid job with him." She then looked over to the silver dragon laying down to the right of Dyrfeng. "Now that's a dragon I've never actually seen before. Am I right in guessing it's the Moonstreak?"

Mathias was genuinely surprised at her knowledge. "How do you know that name? It was only used in my village."

She gave him a wily smile. "You learn a lot when you've lived amongst them as long as I have. I traveled all over." She then took a few steps over to the silver dragon. "She's beautiful." She turned to him and gestured to the dragon. "Can I?"

Mathias shrugged in response. "I guess if she doesn't mind." Nightshade put up no resistance as Valka stroked her head and down her neck. She purred in delight as she was scratched behind the ears. "Its true; her scales really do reflect the moonlight." She continued down the length of the dragon and noted her wings. "And these frills, they remind me of feathers."

"Careful of her tail. Its highly toxic."

Valka gave a nod as she stepped back a bit. "Aye, I appreciate that. Now that I think about it though, she's rather similar in shape and size to a Night Fury wouldn't you say?"

Mathias raised a brow at her before raising his hand to his chin. "I guess, now that you mention it, she kind of does. At least the overall body shape is similar. She has no other defining characteristics in common though." He then let out an involuntary yawn which was received rather well by his dragon. "You tired too?" Nightshade approached him and gave a low grunt in response.

"I suppose the two of you should spend the night in the dragon stables. Its big enough for you and your dragons; not to mention we have little room here for guests."

Mathias happily took her offer. "Thanks, that's a big help." He went back inside to rouse his sleeping companion while Astrid seemed to come out to talk to Valka.

"Something wrong Astrid?"

She crossed her arms and turned back towards the door. "I don't trust them. They show up out of nowhere with some crazy story and then this happens to Hiccup? No, I think they're up to something."

"While I can't blame you for bein suspicious, I think you may be overthinking it."

"What makes you so sure about that? You just met them." Astrid asked in a perplexed tone

Valka simply pointed to the two dragons. "When a rider bonds with a dragon, it usually happens because the dragon and rider have something in common. Their personalities will often reflect in their riders. You and Stormfly are like that as well."

Astrid gave a slight blush before turning to look back at the house. "Then I guess we'll just have to see who's right, but I still don't trust them."

Valka gave a smile as she watched the young shieldmaiden reenter the house. She was only worried about Hiccup, that much was understood. Ah to be young and in love.

Mathias was right in assuming he was on his own for setting up camp. Of course, most of it was taken care off in the stable, but he still had to drag Megin out of the house and get her on to Dyrfeng's back. The whole thing was a ridiculous hassle that could've been avoided if Megin hadn't had anything to drink considering she was horrible with it. Eventually though, he had her situated with Dyrfeng in one empty stable while he and Nightshade shared another. He heaved a tired sigh as he layed on his back in the hay. "Finally…." Nightshade growled in concurrence as she laid her head down. "She is way heavier than she looks." He heard what sounded like an insulted grunt coming from the stable over, but he wasn't sure. "Anyway, I'm too tired to keep worrying about today." He grumbled out as he allowed the sweet embrace of sleep to take him.

* * *

><p>The morning came surprisingly easy for Mathias, especially considering how much he hated waking up. He couldn't shake this feeling of urgency as he sat up in the hay. Nightshade seemed to share in his feeling as she was ready to get going just as he began to stretch.<p>

"Hurry up now Matt or I'll leave ya behind!" Megin teased as she stood in front of the water trough as energetic as ever. He never could quite understand how she was able to be so motivated in the morning despite what little sleep she gets or what she does the previous day. It wasn't fair, plain and simple. He then stood up to brush off the hay which had clung to his clothes in the night.

"Stop being a morning person for two seconds please. I just can keep up with you."

"That's your problem." She announced before heading off towards the exit with Dyrfeng close behind. Mathias only took a few more minutes to get himself together before following suit with Nightshade. Greeting them by the door was an agitated Astrid with her Nadder by her side. "Good mornin lass!" Megin greeted.

What ever obvious distaste Astrid seemed to give off was lost on the older woman as she strode right past her without so much as awaiting a response.

"Good morning?" Mathias tried with more hesitance in his voice. Astrid gave a resigned nod. "Yeah, come on. Hiccup woke up."

"Right on time." Mathias commented as his first bit of good news of the day resounded in his ears. It was about time that something went at least a little according to plan. Though maybe that's not right word for it, but he wasn't about to complain. He followed behind the unhappy viking, being sure to keep his distance. As he looked around the village on his way, he didn't seem to attract too many stares even though both he and Megin had caused more than a minor disturbance. The walk was rather quiet, mostly because Megin was way ahead of them, but Mathias relished the peace he had before the complicated explanations followed by ludacris shouts to follow.

Once he was inside the house, he saw Hiccup already waiting at the table with his mother. The other Vikings seemed to be absent, which filled Mathias with a bit of relief because it was less people to deal with. He took a seat at the table with Astrid, across from Valka and Hiccup.

"Well….. I guess we should start explaining."

Megin gave a nod from her seat on the back wall. "Yeah, but don't you think we should ask him first? Ya' know, make sure he's actually had the whole mysterious song and dance in dreamland."

Mathias gave a shrug. "I guess… if you want to tell us first that is." He directed the suggestion towards the young chief.

Hiccup seemed to have a far off look in his eyes as he nodded. "I don't really know how to explain it." He started with a laugh. "Ironic considering I thought the two of you were crazy, but now I know you're not." He weaved his fingers through his hair as he thought about how he was going to explain what he dreamed.

"Just tell us what you saw. How ever crazy it sounds, you should know we'll believe you."

"Aye! Hopefully you didn't get yelled at like me."

Hiccup let out a sigh as he started. "Well… it was kind of like I was flying, but not. I was still for a long time and I could see the ocean below me. It was then that I heard that weird voice you were talking about. It told me to watch carefully, and I did considering I didn't have a mind to refuse a disembodied voice."

Megin chuckled at that. "Yeah, but not listening would have gotten ya nowhere, trust me." Mathias rolled his eyes at the comment before gesturing for Hiccup to continue.

"After it spoke, I started to move, but it looked more like the ocean below me was moving because I didn't feel like I was moving. I saw islands past under me one after another. At first I recognized a few, and then….. I suddenly didn't. Wherever it was taking me, I had never even gotten close to it before. I eventually stopped at this deserted looking island. It wasn't desolate looking or anything, but there was no movement to be seen, like it was some sort of untouched oasis."

Mathias rubbed his chin in thought. "It must have been trying to show you where to go. Just as I expected. Do you think you can recreate the general path on a map?"

Hiccup took a moment before pulling out his map from his bracer. "I started out north here." He held the charcoal pencil over a small island near Berk. "I then moved farther north and slightly towards the west in this direction here." He indicated as he pointed out every recognized island he remembered.

Mathias looked over the map with interest. "So how many islands did you see that you didn't recognize?"

Hiccup turned his head in thought. "Maybe around... 12? There were some smaller land masses too, but they weren't quite big enough to consider them islands."

Mathias then pulled out a notebook and pencil of his own and jotted down a few notes. "This is perfect."

"So what else did the voice say eh?" Megin inquired as she kicked her boots up over the armrest of her chair.

Hiccup took a moment to think back over what he was told once he stopped at the mysterious island. "_Below you is the gateway. This is a place that should never be touched by man. You and two others are being brought here to serve a purpose that will be revealed in time. Make haste in your arrival, for time is of the essence. Do not worry for your journey, for all will be provided. I pray you take head….."_ Hiccup tried as best he could to relay that message. Mathias took it very well, but Megin seemed a bit agitated.

"Oi! Why in Odin's name was I the only one yelled at?"

Mathias chuckled. "Probably because they knew you were too stubborn to listen to a simple request."

Megin grumbled in response. "Like I could be blamed? Who wants to take orders from some crazy voice in your dreams? I'd shout madness if I hadn't run into you like I was told was going to happen."

"Like you weren't already crazy?" Mathias teased as he leaned on his palm.

"Says the boy who finds better company with a dragon than a person. You can barely talk to people outside menial things like orderin food."

Mathias turned to her with agitation in his voice. "I don't see why I have to talk to someone if I don't want to. Nightshade is far better company than anyone I know."

"Alright, that's enough." Astrid stated, finally growing tired of remaining silent. "Just what does any of this mean exactly?"

"I'd imagine it means that the three of them have to go this this island Hiccup mentioned." Valka responded with understanding in her voice.

Astrid immediately didn't like the idea one bit. These strangers show up in Berk and the very next day they want to drag Hiccup off to some random unexplored island? Not going to happen! She stood and slammed her hands onto the table. "Alright Hiccup, just what is your take on this?" The question was more like a demand as she stared down the viking.

Hiccup gulped nervously as he leaned back in his chair. "Well, I…. I need to go with them."

Astrid's glare grew. "So you're going to trust them? You just met them!"

Hiccup turned to his mother for a bit of support before turning back to her with more confidence. "I can't really explain it but, its important. I need to go Astrid."

Her eyes lightened a bit. She could see determination in his expression and knew there was no stopping him at that point. She let out a sigh as she sat back down. "Well then…. I guess we have some preparations to make."

Hiccup visibly relaxed when he saw her gaze soften. Astrid and angry was an equation for disaster. He then paused as he realized the full implications of her comment. "Wait, we?"

Astrid gave him a knowing expression. "You're really are crazy if you thought I'd let you run off without me." She then waved as she headed out the door.


	4. Chapter 4 - Start with Caution

**Author Chat!**

**N - So…. I really don't have much to say. Aegis is such a slave driver about it. **

**AD- Really, it was a joke. I thought we were past that. **

**N - Ah so naive. Its okay though, I don't think less of you for it.**

**AD- Me? Naive? Pot and Kettle, Neeko. **

**N - … I think you used that wrong. It's supposed to be, "Pot, Kettle, have you two met?" **

**AD- We've discussed this. Different states, different customs. **

**N - True enough, but I got that from YJ so whatever. **

**AD- Your Otaku is showing again. **

**N - First of all, YJ is an american show. Anyway, this has nothing to do with the story. Should we just let them read now? **

**AD- You know, one of these days, I'll succeed at talking you in a circle. But for now, on with the story.**

** N - Good luck with that.=^-^=**

**Ch. 4 - Start With Caution **

* * *

><p>The clear skies shined a brilliant cerulean as four distinct figures passed through the air. Its was a few days after Mathias and Megin arrived in Berk and after resting and packing bountiful provisions, they left with the third member of their intended party plus an extra. The two boys flew ahead of the small flock as they corroborated on where exactly they would all be headed. Hiccup held up his compass as Mathias looked over his map.<p>

"I think we should head north this way once we pass this island. There should be a decent spot to camp out on this island here. Then we can move further west from there."

"I think we can go further than that if we make good time though." Hiccup contradicted. "There should be an alcove off the mainland just past that island."

Mathias gave a nod. "Yeah, but I really don't want to stop there." Mathias said with a slight grumble as he glanced back at his companion. "Besides, this spot is great for fishing, which is good if we have four dragons to feed."

Hiccup saw his point and gave a nod in agreement. "Alright then, sounds good."

Astrid watched the two go back and forth from behind on her dragon while Megin leaned lazily forward on her dragon's saddle.

"Are you goin ta be okay?" She asked the shield maiden.

Astrid didn't move her gaze as she responded. "Fine."

Megin gave a chuckle as she leaned on one arm. "You sure lass? 'Cause you look pretty bothered. Mathias isn't goin ta eat him, ya'know. If anything, I think Hiccup would be the one doin that between the two of 'em. Mathias is kind of a pushover in most cases."

Astrid turned to her with an brow raised. "He sounds more stubborn to me."

Megin couldn't disagree in that regard. He was stubborn when it came to stuff like this. "Well yes, but he doesn't like fighting….. unless it's arguing. He really likes to do that."

Astrid gave a light laugh to that. "I'd have to agree than. He's not one for taking no for an answer."

Megin then sat up. "Yeah well, you get used to him I suppose. Anyway, you can stop glaring daggers at him now. The longer you do that the more I think he could actually get cut by them."

Astrid let out a sigh as she reaffirmed her gaze on the boys. "Not until I'm completely sure-"

"He's harmless, trust me" Megin cut her off. "I mean, really? Does he really look like some kind of violent mastermind out to undermine your village or anything?" Megin continued with obvious sarcasm. "He's more likely to throw words at you than anything else. It's kind of annoying really…." She stated under her breath.

"Then what? I just trust you both, just like that? Does that sound smart to you?" Megin shrugged.

"Don' know lass, but it sure sounds easy to me. Why you gotta be so suspicious. Sometimes things really are what they appear to be." When Astrid didn't break her gaze away Megin just sighed and leaned forward again. "I gave it ma best shot I guess…"

* * *

><p>Several hours later the four fly in the vicinity of a peaceful looking island with a long beach. "Looks perfect for fishing, just like I thought." He then gave Nightshade a pat on her neck. "Let's go girl." She starts her descent followed by the other three and lands first.<p>

Hiccup lands next and scopes out the area just before jumping off Toothless. "Looks like a nice enough place, eh bud?" Toothless responded with a purr as he looked curiously at the forest behind them. "Let's get this stuff set up quickly before the sun starts to set." Hiccup suggested.

Mathias agreed as he grabbed his bag off of Nightshade's saddle. "Sounds good to me. I'm getting pretty hungry."

Megin jumped off Dyrfeng's back and strode over to the water. "Well then I'll start fishin while you do the borin stuff."

"I'm not setting up camp for you Megin." Mathias bluntly stated as he rummaged through his bag.

"I don't expect you to." She responded. "What is that?" Astrid asked as she stood beside the older woman.

"What do you…. oh, you mean the smell?" Megin asked as she took a whiff of the air. "I don't know but…. it smells good... and very familiar."

Astrid took a look down the beach see if she couldn't maybe spot the source. "Where is it coming from?"

"What are you two talking about?" Hiccup asked as he approached them.

Astrid sniffed the air again. "Can you smell it?"

Hiccup seemed confused a moment before he smelled the air too. "Hmmm? What is that? I don't think I've ever smelled that before."

"I have…. I just don't remember what it is." Megin responded. "But it's really making me hungry."

Mathias looked up from his bag at a rustling sound coming from the trees. He turned to see what it was but saw absolutely nothing and a small feeling of dread swelled in the back of his mind. He had just realized that he hadn't seen one animal since they landed. The last time he was here, there was a multitude of birds around the shore and the forest roared with miscellaneous sounds. It was stark quiet now though, and he wondered to himself why he hadn't noticed right away. He turned to the shore to find Megin, surprisingly, not doing anything helpful. "Megin! Are you going to fish or what?" He asked as he marched over to her.

She turned to him with not a single trace of guilt. "Well yeah, but do you smell that? I just can't put my finger on where I've smelled it before."

Mathias sighed in exasperation as he continued to approach. He stopped only a few feet away, however, and his eyes widened in realization. "... oh crap….."

Hiccup looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Mathias immediately turned around and dashed for his bag, quickly getting it hooked to Nightshade's saddle again. "We need to get out of here!" Astrid and Hiccup immediately ran over to their dragons, though they didn't really understand why they had to leave. Megin strolled leisurely towards Dyrfeng; not seeming to be in any sort of hurry.

"So what's eatin you all of a sudden?"

Hiccup jumped on Toothless' back. "Yeah, what's going on?"

Mathias mounted his dragon and secured his stuff quickly before turning to Megin who had only just arrived at her dragon. "Hurry up, Megin! There are Snaptrappers here!"

Megin turned her head slightly to the side as she faced the boy. "Snaptrappers?"

Mathias held his hand up high to indicate height. "The dragon that can tower to around 80 feet and use the smell of chocolate to lure in victims."

Megin then tapped her fist into her open palm. "Oh! That's where I smelled it before!" "Just hurry up Megin! We don't need to stay here long enough to be seen." "About that….. these Snaptrappers. Do they happen to be green and have a split jaw?"

Mathias nodded as he gave his companion a confused expression. "Yes… why?"

She pointed directly at him. "Because there is one right behind you," She bluntly stated as if it wasn't anything at all to worry about.

Mathias slowly turned his head until he locked eyes with the aforementioned dragon. "Shit….." He pat Nightshade on her shoulder. "Let's get out of here!" The dragon took flight only just barely being out of reach of the creature's jaw as it rushed to chomp down on them. Megin swung herself onto Dyrfeng's back and took off just behind Astrid and Hiccup.

"Well that could have gone better," Hiccup commented as he turned back towards the dragon as it stood to its full height. Even when they were clearly out of reach, the dragon continued to snap its jaws at them.

"Who's idea was it to camp on an island with that!?" Astrid practically yelled.

"It wasn't there last time I camped on the shore, I swear!" Mathias countered with the panic ebbing from his tone.

"Okay, after a wonderfully narrow escape I think we're fine Astrid. Just calm down." With only slight hesitancy, the viking agreed and gave Hiccup a nod.

"Alright fine, but what now?" Hiccup turned to Mathias.

"I guess this means we're going to Mosfell then?"

Mathias wore a slightly surprised expression before it fell to a frown. He let out a sigh and then nodded. "I guess we don't have much choice then….."

Megin immediately threw her arms into the air. "Alright! I heard the place was a good time!"

Mathias knew she was going to react that way. He had come by this place before the two had started to travel together, and it was just the kind of place she would fit right in at.

* * *

><p>Not even an hour later, the group found themselves on the outskirts of Mosfell hiding in the thick forest on the eastern border. Megin picked her bag off of Dyrfeng's saddle and headed towards the village.<p>

"I'm gonna go and get us some rooms at the inn. Chances are, they'll have some sort of stable where we can keep the dragons so no one will find 'em by accident."

Mathias agreed. "Yeah, I believe the inn here actually has a barn."

Megin seemed a bit surprised that he'd been here before. "Oh? Then that's perfect. I'll see about gettin that then." She then strode out of the trees and left her companions to wait.

Mathias let out a sigh as he resigned himself to what would be a rough night. Astrid watched the woman head towards the village with a raised brow.

"Exactly how does she expect to get the whole barn? She didn't look to have much on her."

Mathias, still somewhat annoyed at his prospects, responded. "Yeah, but she's actually quite well off. She always has money or other tradable goods on her and usually never worries about being without it. You'll see why later, I can guarantee it." The two Berkians traded glances before turning back to face the village.

It didn't take long for Megin to make good on her promise of lodgings. They had gotten the barn just behind the Inn and Mathias only wondered what she told the Innkeeper in order to get it. The four of them were now getting their things unpacked and their dragons settled. Hiccup's first action after taking off his bag was to push all the hay from Toothless' sleeping area over towards Stormfly.

"Toothless have a thing against hay?" Mathias questioned as he watched the young chief sweep it away.

"No, but I'd rather not light the place up if I can avoid it. Toothless warms his bed before he sleeps."

"Oh really?" Megin inquired. "Dyrfeng does that sometimes, but not when there's hey available instead." She then placed her bag down and headed for the door. "Let's see…." She opened the door slightly and bent down. "Looks like he was pretty quick about it," She commented as she grabbed several bedding bundles from the ground. She walked back in and proceeded to toss them to the others. "One for each a ya so you don't have to sleep on the bare ground at least. She then tossed hers over where it plopped right beside Dyrfeng. The dragon snorted at the ragged cloth before turning back to her. "Don't take offense to it now. It's just bedding." She warned the Battering Charger before turning on her heel and strolling towards the door. "I don't know about any of you, but I'm hungry."

Mathias gave a groan as he followed her with his satchel on his side. "I'm not going to like this night at all."

"What's so bad about this place?" Astrid wondered to the exasperated boy.

"Like I said before…. you'll see, trust me." And as he said, not five minutes later was Megin making a ruckus with the more hardy men in the Inn. Both Astrid and Hiccup watched in amazement and avid curiosity as Megin yelled and laughed along with several men whom they knew she'd only just met. She was challenging them to all manner of competitions right and left gaining quite a bit of coin along the way.

"At least we know why she was able to get the barn now…" Hiccup stated with a raised brow.

Astrid gave a nod as she continued to watch. "Is she really always like this?" She asked Mathias, but when she turned to him, her answer was clear. His exasperated expression as he leaned on the table was all the proof she needed to know the answer was yes.

Megin continued her fun for about half an hour or so until a bar maid brought the group their food. It only took a minute before Megin sat down at the table beside Mathias ready to eat.

"Are you quite done for tonight?" He asked her as he started his meal.

"You kidding? I've got plenty of fun left in me. Besides, I'll just be in your way otherwise while you figure out where we go next."

The boy sighed as she continued and then turned to Hiccup. "So, I think we should decide on the course for tomorrow. Having a back up plan seemed to come in handy this time around."

Hiccup agreed as he lifted his cup to his mouth. "Yeah, sounds like a plan. Maybe we should also try to stick around places a little more inhabited. If there are any dragons around, at least we'll hear about it first."

"Good point. Considering that, maybe we can make a stop somewhere around Whispering Pass. It's got a good sized village on the outskirts of the foot path and it also is supposed to have a way station for caravans in the middle."

"So I would assume travelers are pretty common then?" Astrid asks in curiousity.

"Yeah, seeing new faces isn't anything new for them, and you can find some pretty interesting stuff there too. Of course, there also plenty of unsavory characters there for that very reason." He stated with a slight warning tone. "As long as we keep to ourselves we shouldn't have much of a problem there." He then turned his gaze towards Megin. "Got it?"

She didn't seem to hear him as she looked over to the crowd she was in a little earlier. "Megin?"

"Hmm?" She turned to him. "What did ya say?"

Mathias wasn't too surprised as he repeated himself. "We're going to stop outside Whispering Pass and we need to keep a low profile when we do."

She raised bow brows as she responded. "Oh, are we goin ta be stopped in Hagvar then? That'll be interesting." She then grabbed the last roll on her plate and wandered back over to the crowd. Hiccup watched as she started back in with the guys and then turned back to the exasperated Mathias.

"I'm sure she won't be too much of a problem and if worse comes to worse we can look for another town." Mathias nodded. "Yeah, I'll go over my maps then."

"Alright then," Astrid stated as she got up from the table. "I'm going to check on Stormfly."

Hiccup got up too and followed. "I'll go too."

Once the couple was out Mathias pulled out his maps and notebook. He started to jot down a few notes and compare his track to the map when the noise in the room grew a bit louder. It annoyed him a bit, but it wasn't exactly new so he ignored it with practiced ease.

Unbenounced to him, as he never lifted his head, a very large man was staring him down from the entrance. While all the other patrons looked his way as he walked in, this one boy didn't and it angered him. 'Who was this boy to ignore him like this?' He asked himself as he stomped over. He stopped a few feet from the table and eyed the boy who still had yet to notice him at all. Astrid and Hiccup slipped back into the large room just in time to see the large man bump the table where Mathias was sitting.

"Is that guy….."

"Yeah I think he is." Hiccup responded to her. "I wonder what his problem is."

"Whatever it is, it looks like it's worth pickin a fight for." Megin stated from beside them. They were a bit surprised at her sudden appearance and that she didn't seem to be doing anything about the man.

Mathias was now staring blankly at the thick charcoal line through his map. He let out a sigh as he grabbed for a leftover piece of bread to clean it off with.

"Oi! Lad!"

Mathias looked up to the man standing beside him for the first time with a slightly irritated expression. "Yeah?"

"It's about time."

"Yeah it is about time you apologized. You should be more careful not to run into people's tables while they're busy."

The man's face lit up a irate red as he slammed a hand on the table. "Ya mind repeaten that? I don't think I heard you right."

Mathias started to rub away the charcoal as he responded in a sarcastic tone. "Come on, you don't look that old, but if your hearing really is that bad, I'd be happy to repeat myself. Watch where you're going."

The man let out a growl as he grabbed the back of Mathias' tunic and tore him from the table. He dropped him down in front of him, but the young man barely stumbled in response. He took to inspecting his shirt for dirt and tears causing the large man to become even more angry.

"Do you make grabbing strangers a habit, or is this just your way of saying hi?"

Seconds later he found the end of a very sharp sword at his throat and a crowd looking on with wary gazes. There were a few excited expressions in the crowd as well but they were outnumbered by the those who simply didn't want to get in the way.

"You got 5 seconds to give me a reason not to slice your throat clean through."

Hiccup and Astrid now seemed actively worried as they observed this while Megin simply watched in amusement.

"Aren't we going to do anything?" Astrid asked as she turned to Megin.

She simply waved it off. "Are you kiddin? This is going to be great."

Hiccup shook his head. "No its not."

He then made a move to walk over to the confrontation. Megin wouldn't hear of it as she grabbed his arm mid stride. "Hold on there, I think you got the wrong idea. Mathias ain't the one you need to be worried about."

Hiccup raised a brow. "I thought you said he hated fighting."

Megin nodded. "Well yes but that don't mean he doesn't know how. Normally I would have stepped in because Mathias wouldn't do much of anything, but this guys gone and pissed him off. I think Mathias can handle himself from here."

They watched as the man slowly brushed the blade up on the boy's neck. "Well? I'm waiting."

Mathias rolled his eyes. "For what? Some sense maybe?" He then ducked under the blade before the man could even register the statement and elbowed him in the side. "I really hate guys like you, always picking fights for stupid reasons." The large warrior swung his blade towards the boy but Mathias ducked again and gripped the armed hand tightly as he jabbed at the thumb. The sword quickly fell from the man's grip and landed in Mathias' quick grip. In surprise, the man stumble and Mathias helped him along with strategically placed foot causing the man to fall flat on his face. Mathias looked down on him with a pleased expression and then walked around to his head. "Now," He started as he turned the blade to face the floor. "I'm just going to say this one more time, alright?" He quickly jabbed the blade into the floorboards not even an inch from the man's head. "Could you be so kind as to watch where you're going?" His voice became more venomous near the end and then he stepped over the man and back toward the table.

A low murmur swept through the crowd but no one would say anything aloud as most of them shuffled back to what they were doing previously. Megin simply looked on with a smirk on her face.

"Ah, now that's the way to end an argument, even if it was a tad short." She then stopped leaning on the wall and headed back over to Mathias with a surprised couple just behind her.

When she sat down, Mathias instantly stopped what he was doing and looked over to her. "I take it you were amused?"

She gave a curt nod as she sat down in her spot from before. "A little bit. I was hoping for the guy to put up more of a fight than that, though." She then shrugged. "Oh well."

Astrid gave him an impressed expression. "I have to admit, that was pretty cool. That guy didn't have a prayer." She then leaned over to Megin and whispered. "I thought you said he was harmless."

Megin just smirked and whispered back. "He is. Unless you piss 'im off, of course."


End file.
